You can be Santa to a senior

Sunday

PANAMA CITY — The holiday season is fast approaching and for many senior citizens, it is not a time of gifts and joy.

PANAMA CITY — The holiday season is fast approaching and for many senior citizens, it is not a time of gifts and joy.

The Be a Santa to a Senior program aims to change that.

Lee Harrell, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office serving Bay, Jackson, Holmes, Washington, Calhoun, Liberty, Franklin and Gulf counties, said this 7-year-old program is about spreading a little joy.

“We get the names from senior centers, various facilities and nursing homes,” Harrell said. “They give us names of seniors who are alone or can’t afford anything for Christmas. We try to bring a ray of sunshine to them.”

He said starting Monday, Christmas trees will be in the three local Wal-Marts with paper ornaments. The ornaments will have a senior’s first name and wish list on it.

“The customer takes an ornament and shops the store for that ornament,” Harrell said. “In the past we have gotten so much participation, it’s unreal. The customers are so generous; they always give more than what the person asks for.”

Customers can take the purchased items, unwrapped and with the ornament, to guest services in Wal-Mart, or drop the items off at Home Instead office on Jenks Avenue.

Harrell said the participation has been a blessing.

“I’ve personally delivered some of the gifts and to look into the eyes of someone that wasn’t expecting anything is really rewarding,” Harrell said.

He said the requests on wish lists range from socks and bathrobes to toiletries and clothes.

The wish list trees will be available from today to Dec. 14 and Harrell said the engineering group at Tyndall Air Force Base volunteered to help deliver gifts. He also said local elementary schools, including Patronis, Northside and Highland Park elementary schools have volunteered to decorate the gift bags.

“The elementary schools, kids and art groups, will paint or color the outside of the paper bags to wish the seniors a merry Christmas,” Harrell said. “We’re trying to get people involved helping seniors and they really appreciate it, most of them don’t expect anything for Christmas. The volunteers really make a difference to be able to pull this thing together.”

He said if people know someone who is in need or will be alone for Christmas, call their office, 850-522-1919, give them the senior’s information and they will try to get those requests filled as well.

Interested volunteers can also call that number to get involved.

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